this isn’t my garden, but i am lucky enough to have this view from my studio window. a distraction indeed! the tulip and daffodil garden on the property is in full bloom and today they beckoned me away from my bench and into the great sunshine. thank you, flowers!
when i returned to the studio, i unearthed the bulbs of my indoor plants that have finished flowering. and this is what i shot:
it’s already wednesday, and i’m still not certain what i will make for the challenge. i do know that my piece(s) of jewelry will be in the form of rings. somehow this seems appropriate for the challenge. . . more on that later. using these photos as inspiration, i’m going back to the drawing board!
i can’t wait to get this in the mail for a new project i’m working on:
also, maybe you can help me- i’m on the hunt for the perfect bento box to transport my lunches from home to the studio. it’s so hard to pick just the right one! i may be in my mid twenties, but i’m still partial to the hello kitty themed bentos. . .
last night we watched the first disc of planet earth, narrated by one of my favorite people, david attenborough . i’ve had the growth/decay challenge cooking in my brain since saturday and had a tiny ah- ha! moment when david made a point that completely changed my perception of “decay”. instead of equating decay with death, david pointed out that from decay comes life. at this point in the dvd, we see a time lapse recording of beautiful mushrooms growing from what appears to be rotting wood. i searched for this footage to share with you, but to no avail. instead, i leave you with another AMAZING scene from this awe-inspiring series. enjoy!
kait, at tether has proposed the third one-a-week challenge. i am so stoked about this one! how will i ever get to the production work i need to do with this challenge on my mind?! we hope you will join us on our creative quest!
the challenge in kait’s words:
In season 1, episode two, the designers had to create a cotton dress that expressed the idea of ‘envy.” Since we’re in the blogosphere here, we’re wrestling with words as well as images here, so this seemed like a good type of challenge for us. I’d thought about replacing ‘envy’ with one of the other Seven Deadly Sins, you know, ‘lust’ or ‘greed,’ perhaps. But those seem a bit negative, and since it still keeps snowing here, I need something a little more uplifting. So here it is:
Make a piece of jewelry (or any other creative item) which expresses the idea of either ‘growth’ or ‘decay’ (for those less daunted by the ‘negative’).
You know those PR episodes where they give the designers one challenge, and then halfway through their allotted time, they spring an additional requirement on them, usually a second, related garment?
In that spirit, but making it completely optional and without the element of a last-minute surprise….Here’s a BONUS CHALLENGE:
Make two pieces which would be worn, sold or packaged together as a set, one of which expresses ‘growth’ and one of which expresses ‘decay.’
1. did you see kait’s second one-a-week challenge results? the colors used throughout the piece are so warm and pretty. i love seeing our different interpretations of the project. kait is choosing next week’s challenge- stay tuned- i can’t wait! anyone else out there care to join us?
2. two more shows lined up for the season!
3. and speaking of shows, there is still a little time left to apply to the charm city craft mafia’s SECOND annual pile of craft!
this morning i was lost in the blackhole that is ikea.
i have a brand new craft show booth concept that is a fresh and cleaner take on my old one that involved faux grass and wooden pedestals atop a faux ultra suede tablecloth. i picked up one of the key elements at ikea today:
i’m so happy to be retiring the wrinkly tablecloth! i’ll be doing away with the glass that comes with this tabletop and inserting fields of faux grass instead. stay tuned for more! or come see it for yourself at the bust spring fling!
now i must decompress from my black hole experience . . .
today i am a production machine. it’s all about the whale hoops, whale studs, and seed earrings today. no work on the one a week challenge yet, but don’t these remind you of the bleeding hearts? . . .
hope you all are having a good day!
p.s. can you guess what movie this blog title comes from?
oh my! it seems like all of a sudden i have a million things to do in order to prepare for the upcoming show season. the bust show is only three weeks away!
on the one-a-week challenge: i wasn’t able to get out much this weekend to take photos, so i’m cheating a bit here. . . here is an inspiration photo from my archives taken in April 2007. (looks like this bleeding heart plant is not returning this year )
hopefully, i will be able to complete a pendant by friday. good luck to everyone who is participating!
i thought i would post next week’s one-a-week challenge today because it involves a tiny bit of weekend homework.
from season 2 episode 8. - grab your camera and go for a little walk! using one photo taken from your outing as inspiration, create a pendant (or piece of your choice, depending on your craft) . i’ll be posting my inspiration photo on monday. have fun!
okay. the deadline for the one a week challenge isn’t until tomorrow, but i think i have to submit my piece early. call this the white flag of surrender, if you will! i must get back to my regular studio routine.
after all the materials that i chose at the market and from the pantry, i only used two: soy papers and the mesh from my box of clementines - which i didn’t even think of using until the very last second today.
after making MANY MANY hideous and poorly crafted pieces. i am only satisfied with one simple necklace! i feel like i have failed the challenge that i set for myself: a one week challenge involving more construction than usual and alternative materials. i finished this necklace in one hour and only used two materials
the upside is this- i learned alot and my creative juices are definitely flowing!
thoughts:
- why try to use metalsmithing techniques and tools on objects that are NOT metal? boy- that took me two days to realize!
-i tried to manipulate the metal packaging that i chose in the same way that i would use silver sheet. i completely forgot that the reason i chose the grocery store challenge was to move myself away from metal and metal tools.
- the rice paper was very fun to play with. after wetting it, you can shape it and when it dries, the paper retains its shape, though brittle.
- screaming does not bring you closer to a design solution.
-i’ll be making chocolate in the shape of diamonds next week. stay tuned for the results!
-juliet- i’m determined to make you a soap pendant
-nothing will go to waste here. all the unused materials are coming home with me.
hope you all had better luck! thanks for sticking with me. next week’s challenge will involve metal FOR SURE! xoxo
back in march, i mentioned that we are “adding some new moves” to our repertoire. . . i’m happy to reveal that for the first time ever imogene will be participating in two wholesale shows in august 2008! these shows are attended by buyers from shops, boutiques, galleries and the like. hopefully, this means that soon you will be able to see imogene jewelry in person at a store near you!
i’m so excited to take this big step and will keep you up to date on all the progress as i prepare for these shows. i especially can’t wait to show you plans for my new booth design.
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